ALTERNATIVE FOOD GRADE CHITOSAN FOR FOOD PRESERVATION

摘要

Extensive studies have showed chitosan confer biocompatibility,biodegradability,and antibacterial activity.Therefore, apart from existing applications,chitosan is potentially feasible in various fields,for example,biotechnology,pharmaceutics,waste water treatment, cosmetics, and food science. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan against a variety of bacteria and fungi is contributed by its polycationic nature. Nevertheless, this activity is limited to acidic conditions due to its poor solubility above pH 6.5. Therefore, a new kind of derivatives that contain both antibacterial and water-soluble groups may be helpful in order to utilize chitosan as a preservative.